Knockdown paper box.



PATENIED SEPT. a, 1903.-

A. w. BEERS. KNOOKDOWN PAPER BOX.

APPLIGLTIOK IILEDI-AB. 13, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES' 4 min EG,

ATTORNEYS m: NORRIS PETERS cov PHoYo-umo. wAsmncrrou. a c.

PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903. A. w. BEERS. KNOGKDOWN PAPER BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1903.

2 sums- 51mm 2.

H0 MODEL.

WIT E8858 rnzmon co, PHOTO-HITHOH wnwworow. u. c.

l\To. 738,516.

Patented September 8, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER w. nnnns, 0F BAToNNn, new JERSEY;

KNOCKDOWN PAPER Box.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,516, datedSeptember 8, 1903.

I Application filed March 13, 1903. erial No. 147.554. (No modeld To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER W. Bnnas, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown PaperBoxes, of which the following is a specification, such as will enablethose skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved knockdownpasteboard or cardboard box of the class used by tailors and others forpacking clothes and other articles and for shipping the same; and withthis and other objects in View the invention consists in a box of theclass specified constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings forming part of thisspecification, I have shown only onemember of the box, said member being the bottom portion or box proper;but in practice the top or cover of the box is made exactly in the sameway and is made large enough to go over the bottom member or box proper.

The invention is fully disclosed'in the following specification,of whichthe accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of myimprovement are designated by suitable reference characters in each ofsaid views, and in which- Figure l is a plan view of a blank from whichmy improved box is made; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the bottom memberor box proper; Fig. 3, a plan and side view showing the box or boxmember knocked down or folded together for shipment in quantities; Fig.i, a plan View showing the process of knocking down or folding the boxinto the position shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a view similar to Fig. 1,showing a blank of modified form; Fig. 6, a plan View showing a box madefrom the blank shown in Fig. 5, knocked down or folded together,v andFig. 7 a perspective View of a box made from the blank tion a are dottedor scored lines d, and between the side members 0 and the body portion aare similar lines e, and these lines are projected across the endmembers h, as shown at 6 The ends of the folding endl members areextended to form flaps b the outer side edges of which are cut off at anangle or inclination, as shown at 19 and the extensions 6 of the endmembers I) are separated from the folding side members 0 by slits orslotsf. The ends of the folding side members 0 are provided with heavilycreased or scored diagonal lines 0 at an angle of about forty-fivedegrees to the dotted lines or scored lines c, whereby triangular flapmembers 0 are formed and the inner surface of these triangular flapmembers are preferably gummed over a portion thereof, as shown at g,}inorder that the flap members 11 of the folding end portions 1) may besecured thereto, as hereinafter described.

Each of the folding side members a is provided with two locking-clips h,preferably of the form shown, and formed by means of slits h cut in saidfolding side members, and these slits and corresponding locking-clipsare arranged at approximately equal distance from the ends of saidfolding side members and from each other, the distance between saidslits and clips being slightly greater than the distance between saidslits and clips and the ends of said folding side members.

In makingithe box or box proper shown in Fig. 2 from the blank shown inFig. 1 the end members 17 are folded into an upright position, and theend flaps 19 thereof are folded inwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. The sidemembers a are then folded into an upright position and that portion ofthe flap c which is gummed, as shown in Fig. 2,is sealed. to the endflap members I) of the folding portions 6, or this connection may bemade in any desired manner by means of stitching or otherwise, ifdesired; but the edges of the flap members a of the folding sideportions 0 of the blank and the inner. ends or adjacent ends thereofshould be left clear in order to facilitate the operation of theseparts, as hereinafter de- ICO scribed. When all the corners of the boxhave been secured in this manner, the sides of the box are bent orforced inwardly, and the locking-clips h are bent inwardly, and the in-5 clined edges of the flap members 13 of the end portionsb are caughtunder said locking clips, as shown in Fig. 2. This securely holds theparts of the box or box proper in proper form, and in order to knockdown the said box or box member or fold it up, as shown in Figs. 3 and5, the end flap members b of the folding end members I) are detachedfrom the locking-clips h, and the sides of the box are folded inwardly,this process being clearly in- 15 dicated in Fig. 4, and as the sides ofthe box are forced inwardly the flap members b also turn inwardly, thesides 0 fold flat on the central portion a or on the bottom of the boxand the end portions 1) fold over said side por- 2o tions, as clearlyshown.

parent that two box members made in this way, one of which serves as abox proper and the other for the cover, will constitute a strong andsubstantial box, both members of which may be folded together, as shownin Figs. 3 and 5, Whenever desired for packing or similar purposes. Anysuitable flexible material may be employed .in the making of this box orbox member, and the said box member may be made oblong, square, or ofany desired shape.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of the blank shown in Fig 1 andin Fig. 7 a perspective view of a box or box member made from thisblank, and in Fig. 6 the said 4obox or box member is shown in aknockdown or folded condition.

The blank shown in Fig. 5 is exactly of the same general form as thatshown in Fig. 1, the only difference being that the slits which 5separate the parts b and c and which in the form of construction shownare designated bythe reference character m are formed in the flapmembers 19 of the folding end portions 5, whereby the flap members 0 ofthe folding side members 0 are provided with supplemental flaps m whichare gummed on their inner side. In making a box from this blank the endmembers I) and the flaps b thereof are folded exactly as in Fig. 4,after which the supplemental flaps m are folded around the end membersand secured thereto. This leaves the folding flap members 79 entirelyfree, and they are engaged with the locking-clips it exactly the same asin the 6': construction shown in Fig. 4, when the box or box member isin condition for use. When this box or box member is knocked down or theseparate parts thereof folded together, the flap members 19 0f the endportions b are detached from the locking-clips h and folded fiat againstthe end members I), and the sides 6 may be bent outwardly, as shown inFig. 6.

This form of box or box member, however, may be folded exactly as shownin Figs. 3 and 4, if desired, in which operation the side membe'rs c arefolded inwardly.

My invention is not limited to either of the forms herein shown anddescribed for securing the side portions 0 to the end members I), allthat is necessary in this connection being to provide means whereby thesaid side members and end members may be secured together at the cornersof the box or box member, and this may be done by stitching, if desired.In either form of construction the flap members b? of the folding endmembers I) serve to brace the box or box member and to give the samestrength and stiffness, and these flap members 12 may be left free orthey may be secured to the flap members 0 of the folding side members 0,as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and as hereinbefore described. When securedto the flap members 0 they have no motion or folding capacityindependent of said flap member 0 but when the corners of the box areconnected in any other way these fiap members b are free to swing eitherinwardly or outwardly when not connected with the locking-clips h, andwhen this form of box is knocked down or folded, as shown in Fig. 6, thecreased or scored line 0 bends outwardly instead of inwardly, as

shown in Fig. 4.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A box or box member composed of a blank of flexible materialcomprising a central body portion having folding end portions and sideportions, the end portions being of a length equal to the combined widthof the body portion and the side portions, and the ends of the foldingend portions being separated from the ends of the folding side portionsby slits or slots whereby the ends of the folding end portions areprovided with folding flaps, and the outer corners of said flaps beingcut away at an acute angle to said slits or slots, the ends of thefolding side portions being also creased or scored at an angle offorty-five degrees to the lines on which said side portions are foldedso as to form triangular flaps and said side portions being alsoprovided with inwardly and outwardly directed locking-clips formed byslits out therein below or within said creasing or scoring and whichextend in the direction of the central end portions of the blank andwith which the flaps of the end portions are adapted to engage so as tohold the sides and ends of the box or box member in an upright position,substantially as shown and described.

2. A box or box member composed of a bottom portion and folding side andfolding end portions, the folding side portions being creased or scoredat the ends and at an angle of forty-five degrees to the folding linesthereof to form triangular flaps and said portions being also providedwithin or beneath said flaps with inwardly and outwardly directedlocking-clips formed by slits cut therein and which extend in thedirection of the end portions of the box, the folding end portions ofthe box being also provided with inwardlydirected flaps adapted toengage said looking devices and the upper inner corners of Which are cutoff at an acute angle to the top of the sides of the box, and the endsof the side portions and end of the folding end portions being connectedto form the corners ,of the box, substantially as shown and described.

3. A box or box member composed of a bottom portion and folding side andfolding end portions, the folding side portions being creased or scoredat the ends and at an angle of forty-five degrees to the folding linesthereof to form triangular flaps and said side portions being alsoprovided Within or beneath said flaps with inwardly and outwardlydirected locking-clips formed by slits out therein and which extend inthe direction of the bers at the ends of the end portions being alsosecured together, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 12th day of March,1903.

ALEXANDER w. BEERs.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, J. O. LARSEN.

